Durban - Schabir Shaik discussed corvettes with his director
Themba Sono as far back as 1996, years before the government announced its
intention to buy the warships, Durban High Court was told on Thursday.

Sono, the State's first witness in Shaik's fraud and corruption
trial, said these discussions led Schaik into insisting that Nkobi (Shaik's
group of companies) employ electronic experts.

Sono said he was also aware South Africa would soon be buying
military equipment, because he (Sono) had friends in the government "like
Tony Yengeni".

Yengeni was the chairman of the parliamentary defence committee
which oversaw the arms deal.

He was arrested on fraud and corruption charges in 2001, and was
later sentenced to four years' jail.

The court found he had accepted a bribe from a bidder in the
arms-acquisition process, and had then tried to cover it up.

Sono said Shaik was aware South Africa's military equipment was
due for an upgrade, and of the opportunities that existed if he positioned
himself for these upgrades.

This was why Shaik contacted the Thomson arms company, Sono
said.

It was only in 1999 that the cabinet announced its intention to
buy new corvettes, aircraft, helicopters and submarines.

Shaik's Nkobi group ended up having a shared interest with
Thomson in a multimillion-rand tender for the corvette programme.

Shaik's vision was to turn Nkobi into the "Murray and
Roberts of South Africa... and even the Oppenheimers", said Sono.

Earlier, Sono said that the "non-sunny side" of
Shaik's personality was what made him resign as director of Shaik's Nkobi
Holdings.

Sono told the court he took exception to the "boorish and
autocratic manner" with which Shaik treated some of his colleagues.

He said Shaik had two personalities - the "sunny side"
and the other "non-sunny side".

He said Shaik repeatedly boasted of his "political
connectivity" with deputy president Jacob Zuma in discussions with
potential business partners.

Shaik faces two counts of corruption and fraud relating to
payments made to deputy president Jacob Zuma which the State claims was a bribe.